By Bethany Aguad
The Melissa Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship Fund was founded in 1997 by the Florida chapter of the STC to honor and preserve the memory and generous spirit of a valued friend and professional colleague, Melissa Pellegrin. She was a 1994 graduate of the University of Central Florida and a member of the STC’s Florida chapter. Melissa was an exceptional student who earned an STC Florida chapter undergraduate scholarship in 1994. This is the scholarship that now bears her name. After graduation, she served on the Florida chapter’s Education Committee.
Melissa’s commitment to excellence was evident in the quality of her academic and professional work. She shared her enthusiasm in many ways, including professional presentations at STC conferences and meetings. She was employed as a technical communicator with The Resource Center, Inc., in Tampa, until her untimely death in April 1997.
Past recipients of the scholarship include myself and many STC Florida chapter leaders and colleagues in our community. Each of these winners was chosen for their talents and their commitment to excellence in technical communication.
On behalf of the chapter, I am honored to recognize the recipients of the prestigious Melissa Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship: Angela Kafka and John Clement.
Angela Kafka
Angela is a fourth year English- Technical Communication and Writing and Rhetoric student, graduating this May. Angela serves as the Communications Coordinator at Page 15, a local literacy nonprofit. Angela looks forward to bringing together her academic and volunteer experience as she pursues a career as an editor.
I aspire to be a technical communicator for the entirety of my professional life, and in that life, I would be honored to represent the legacy of Melissa Pellegrin. – Angela Kafka
John Clement
John is a fourth year English – Technical Communication, Computer Science, and Philosophy student. In addition to his academic achievements, John serves as President of the Future Technical Communicators student club at UCF where he has organized multiple events with the Florida chapter. At the Society level, he is the Student Outreach Director on STC’s Community Affairs Committee and he is a member of the Membership Marketing Committee.
On my path ahead is a Master’s degree in the same field. I am excited to see where this journey I am on takes me and know that I am in an industry I love. – John Clement
Congratulations to both of these deserving students! May our profession provide you with a lifetime of career satisfaction!
Absolutely! Both had outstanding applications and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in our profession!